Page 17 of Malcroix Bones Academy

“Shadow?” His eyebrow lifted, but instead of looking disgusted, or disturbed, his expression grew warmer. “You don’t say! Well, I hope you don’t mind my saying, but you must take after your father. In regard to your looks, I mean. You don’t look very much like what I remember of Clotide.”

Internally, I winced a little. My mother had been beautiful, and I’d always wanted to look like her. I’d once even hoped I might one day grow into it.

But I also knew he was right, so I didn’t answer.

At my silence, he smiled at me encouragingly.

“You haven’t been told anything, have you?” he asked sympathetically.

I hesitated, then shook my head.

He gave another encouraging nod. “Ah, well, that certainly makes things a bit trickier, but don’t let it discourage you, Miss Shadow. For this exam, we’re not testing you on what you’velearned.Our goal right now is to assess yourpotential,or raw magical ability. Magic is both inherent and learned, and much more instinct than skill when you’re first starting out. I don’t see a primal around you, but that’s to be expected, of course.”

My eyebrows rose higher as the man spoke, but I didn’t interrupt.

Magic? He did saymagic,didn’t he?

And what was a primal?

My mind spun around the logical absurdity of all this, of everything I’d seen and experienced since my aunt walked me into that mirror. Why wasn’t I more disturbed by it all? Why did I believe it all so readily? I should be fighting this more, shouldn’t I? Assuming it was some kind of prank, or trick, wouldn’t I feel foolish for being so gullible?

I didn’t think it was a prank, though.

Something about this place, and the man in front of me, felt undeniably real.

Once I’d admitted that much to myself, everything about this suddenly felt deadly serious. This test felt serious. It mattered what happened here.

“So do this for me, Miss Shadow,” the man went on pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to the switch that flipped in my mind since he last spoke. “We can make this first one very simple. To start, please close your eyes.”

A large glass bulb, maybe the size of a dog’s head, appeared in the air just to the right of the table. Unlike the animals made of light, it wasn’t translucent, but solid, three-dimensional. The glass appeared thin, almost delicate, but it looked to be physically there.

I stared at it, somehow still not doubting my eyes.

He’d said magic. He’d definitely said magic.

This wouldn’t be trick playing cards and rabbits in hats.

“Please close your eyes, Miss Shadow,” the man said, still kind.

I debated asking him outright what he’d meant by the word magic. Seeing the serious, slightly stern look on his face, I decided I’d better not.

I closed my eyes.

“Now, don’t worry about any particular magical or aetheric being for now,” the man said. “Just see if you canfeela light inyou anywhere, Miss Shadow. Or, really, it doesn’t have to be a light. You don’t have to reallyseeit, either. Just feel around for a little spark of something… heat, cold, pulsing… an itch, a feeling of tension, even a flutter of nerves…”

My logical mind struggled with this.

Feellight? What did he mean,feela little spark of something? A little spark of what? And of course I imagined itches all over my body as soon as he suggested it.

I exhaled my breath out slowly.

I tried to relax, to concentrate.

I tried to treat it like any problem in class, any other test I’d taken.

I had no idea what the man with the mad scientist hair and star-filled eyes wanted from me, but I tried to follow his instructions without fighting them, or even really examining them critically. I didn’t let myself think about the how or why, but tried only to do what he’d actuallysaidto do, and was surprised to find that I could.

Icouldfeel something.